The gears on this model dont seem to be the best, a lot of feedback on the site that even though it is a cheap bike, the gears a lot of the time just wont work, even when correctly assembled and even taken to a bike shop.

Seems to be no complaints on the rest of the bike, just this one component.

Buy this and throw £30 down the drain. Un-ridable and un-repairable. It will take up shed space for a few months/years and then be skipped. Why bother.

some people just want a bike to get to and from work for 15 mins a journey
one of these is perfect and cheap
I've been running a similar bike for over 2 years now and it's fine and can be adjusted easily and works spot on

Didn't take long for the bike snobs to turn up, it is what it is £30 if you bin it after 12 months it's still cheap

I can absolutely guarantee that it won't work for 12 months - maybe 12 days if you're lucky or more likely not at all. At this price range the components (i.e. the things that make a bike work) are made so badly and of such cheap materials that they simply can't do what they are supposed to. Go to any council refuse centre and see hundreds of these practically unused.

Oh, and that also means they could be dangerous if ridden in traffic or fast downhill. But then, I'm just a bike snob so what do I know!

u will find them round the back.. in the skip. thats all there good for. do your research then grab a bargain off ebay. look at the parts ie hydraulic brakes, forks, and Derailleur. these are the main components. if these are good the rest will be. u will pick something up for £150-£200. or just go an buy this http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=45087. sorry dont know how to link. ps dont buy a cheap full suspension . it cost £300 just for a shock so doubt u get a full bike for £50.:thumbsup:

I'll admit to being a bike enthusiast (resisting the temptation to post details of my bikes...) but I can't really see what's wrong with this for £30. The frame, wheels and all components are all going to be very heavy, yes. It won't stand up to anything off-road, that's all taken for granted. The parts won't last unless looked after, but that's the same with most bikes unless you spend big money. The brakes will work ok, fine for road use at relatively low speeds (you'll look a sight doing 30mph on this, but hats off to you if you manage it). You need to know how to set them up safely and look after them, keeping cables oiled etc, but then that's the same on any bike. The gears will work ok, again only as long as they're set up and looked after, same as any bike. The big difference is the parts won't last as long or cope with wet weather or off-road (ab)use - but they won't fall apart straight away from normal use either (if they do you can take the bike back). Check all the bolts, know what you're doing and it's a cheap bike for £30.

I work as a bike mechanic & fix bikes like these every few days, once set up correctly they work ok if you don't expect much from a bike. Trouble is the quality of the parts is very poor & unless you pootle along slowly they are scary to ride. The weight of them beggars belief, 18kgs!!
The worst thing about these is they come in a box so need setting up using the correct tools & knowledge.
Although if that's all you need from a bike, it is a bargain. I'd say do your self a favour & try a real bike to see why some of us love cycling, bikes like this put people off as they think a bikes a bike & that's so far from the truth.

[COLOR="Red"]I can absolutely guarantee that it won't work for 12 months[/COLOR] - maybe 12 days if you're lucky or more likely not at all. At this price range the components (i.e. the things that make a bike work) are made so badly and of such cheap materials that they simply can't do what they are supposed to. Go to any council refuse centre and see hundreds of these practically unused.

Oh, and that also means they could be dangerous if ridden in traffic or fast downhill. But then, I'm just a bike snob so what do I know!

No you can't - see the posts below by people who do clearly know what they are talking about listing its faults but accepting this may be OK for some at £30

Again suggest a better alternative that is good value for oocassional road use

I work as a bike mechanic & fix bikes like these every few days, once set up correctly they work ok if you don't expect much from a bike. Trouble is the quality of the parts is very poor & unless you pootle along slowly they are scary to ride. The weight of them beggars belief, 18kgs!!
The worst thing about these is they come in a box so need setting up using the correct tools & knowledge.
Although if that's all you need from a bike, it is a bargain. I'd say do your self a favour & try a real bike to see why some of us love cycling, bikes like this put people off as they think a bikes a bike & that's so far from the truth.

Reading back my reply it's a little more negative than I intended it to be.
I'll just add a couple of things, if you have the bike set up by a shop (£20 or so is what I would charge) it will be money well spent. If your on a tight budget even Halfords can do a decent job (store dependent, just check they have a dedicated mechanic) & they offer a one off £17.99 repair plan payment that allows you a years worth of free servicing (free labour, not parts) so you can have it checked over every few months.

It would be perfect as a bike for a mum to ride with the kids every so often, everyone has quiet local nature places with flat routes. Or as a light use fine weather rider for exercise & short trips.

It isn't an ideal bike to ride in busy traffic or in all weathers though, the plastic brakes are not the best in that situation & the parts will wear out sooner rather than later.

As stated above a proper entry level bike (£250) will be a lot more satisfying to ride, last a lot longer, be about 6kg lighter & so much smoother to ride. Hopefully some people who buy this won't be too put off bikes & make their way onto a real bike.

I bought one of these for £31.50 for my girlfriend, it is a manager's special in those stores where there's stock left from the festive period.

It is her first bike (actually she didn't know how to ride one). Being a bike enthusiast myself I can say that these are only worth what you pay for, which is not a bad thing but don't be expecting anything special.

It will last 12 months, and more. It wasn't straightforward to assemble but I didn't have my hopes up upon purchase. I watched the online video and it helped to assemble.

My girlfriend likes her bike and will certainly stick with it until we can fork out £150+ for a bike that we will only ride on the odd weekends when we have the time for it.

The gear is fiddly and the pedals won't take the weight of a well built guy(I tried to ride it to test the gear change) but it will be fit for ladies.

if u would ride this death trap on the road your a brave man and i jump off 6foot walls as well. let alone letting your mum, well is that what we become so tight we'll put our self ( are your mum) in danger, not everything is about how much.

I can absolutely guarantee that it won't work for 12 months - maybe 12 days if you're lucky or more likely not at all. At this price range the components (i.e. the things that make a bike work) are made so badly and of such cheap materials that they simply can't do what they are supposed to. Go to any council refuse centre and see hundreds of these practically unused.

Oh, and that also means they could be dangerous if ridden in traffic or fast downhill. But then, I'm just a bike snob so what do I know!

Just makes me wonder why no-one else is bothering that a lot of the reviews on ASDA's own website (at the bottom of the product page) makes mention of the gears being very dodgy, even when the bike is assembled by a bike shop, and that near all returns are due to this.

Seems to be a bike-snob witch-hunt rather than people reading up on it, and seeing the already recognised faults.
The part which has all the complaints is the gears, which is the dangerous part.
If that part goes when standing up, then your face is easily planted into the handlebars, andworse if it happens on a road.
Hard to return it when you arent able to see or possibly walk.

The part which has all the complaints is the gears, which is the dangerous part.
If that part goes when standing up, then your face is easily planted into the handlebars, andworse if it happens on a road.
Hard to return it when you arent able to see or possibly walk.

Ok, but some of the comments of those that complained about the gears are frankly hilarious. Any bike will only be as good as the maintenance and setting up you do. One of the reviewers that complained about the gears took the bike back because the tyre got a puncture. Another was disappointed by the smell of the tyres. Gear set up is fiddly on any bike and is a tricky combination of setting the right cable tension plus setting the limit screws on both derailleurs so that both i) the range of gears is available and ii) the chain doesn't slip over the top of the gears. I wonder how many of the reviewers that complained about the gears knew this or looked up how to do it before sending the bike back as faulty.

And actually, the gears surely aren't the dangerous part. I'm struggling to imagine how you could ever plant your face in the bars if the chain comes off or gets stuck? You might press a little bit too hard on the pedals if the chain's come off and provides no resistance but the bike will just carry on freewheeling.

Ok, but some of the comments of those that complained about the gears are frankly hilarious. Any bike will only be as good as the maintenance and setting up you do. One of the reviewers that complained about the gears took the bike back because the tyre got a puncture. Another was disappointed by the smell of the tyres. Gear set up is fiddly on any bike and is a tricky combination of setting the right cable tension plus setting the limit screws on both derailleurs so that both i) the range of gears is available and ii) the chain doesn't slip over the top of the gears. I wonder how many of the reviewers that complained about the gears knew this or looked up how to do it before sending the bike back as faulty.

And actually, the gears surely aren't the dangerous part. I'm struggling to imagine how you could ever plant your face in the bars if the chain comes off or gets stuck? You might press a little bit too hard on the pedals if the chain's come off and provides no resistance but the bike will just carry on freewheeling.

Some are quite funny, but remember, this bike is bought by people that dont know any better.
Pretty much 99.9% of the people that buy these cheap bikes simply will not know how to do this, and as the reviews state, even when taken to a bike shop, even they couldnt get them to work.
I know how to do it, had to do it near every week when i had my expensive bike lol (god that was about 10years ago, im getting old lol)
Went through some amount of rear mechs and a couple cranks lol

When talking about planting your face in the bars, i said "when standing up".
If you are standing up then tbh it is quite easy if the chain goes and you go flying downwards.
If the gears go and you lose control on a road also then wont be good times lol

Wouldn't be a "Bike for Free" as you would have returned the aforementioned Bike and it would no longer be in your possession.

Yes but at least you would have got some use out of it! Try getting a refund from many a local bike specialist after 12 months and you can imagine the sighs and list of list of 'expert' excuses used to worm out of honoring it... the more you paid the more 'expert' they'll become! :whistling:

As for the wheels, it'll only be straightforward if your current bike is a standard size mountain bike (26" wheels), and if it has 18 gears. If the number of gears you have at the moment is different, it might be possible, but will be more complicated (depending on the number of gears and the way they're attached to the rear hub).

Don't know what you mean by 'brake covers' I'm afraid, can you clarify?

Didn't take long for the bike snobs to turn up, it is what it is £30 if you bin it after 12 months it's still cheap

These bikes are analogous to black and white TV sets, in that they'll still satisfy the basic requirements but times have moved on and you might be better off keeping your cash in your pocket for now and buying a colour one in a couple of weeks' time, instead.

If you're happy with something primitive and you're more interested in how cheap it is than how good at the job it is, then go for it.

If you'd rather have something that's worth the effort of purchasing it in the first place, look around, do your research and learn about the product, the market and the benefits to be had from the various features.
Ask around among the folk that have a clue, rather than resorting to ignorant name calling.

csiman

if it wasnt road worthy, do you think asda would sell it? :w00t:

ok, its gonna be a pile of crap but a bargain for anyone who just needs a local runaround.

Apart from one helpful post above i referred to, still noone has provided a link for something better for similar (or even slightly more) money...

Lots of armchair experts on here as always

At this price you really are scraping around in the dregs of the barrel in terms of quality. They are absolutely built down to a price and as such reflect pretty much the lowest standard of everything - heavy materials, no real thought or effort put into the design, parts made to poor tolerances that have been loosely thrown together to be finished off by someone who has possibly never taken a spanner to a bike in their life. It'll also probably be the wrong size.

Can you elaborate a little on what you mean by slightly more?
At £50 you're still going to get stuff like this. At £100 you'll still get the same but someone might have built it for you. By the time you get to £200, you're going to be looking in a bike shop where you'll be able to get the right size and seek advice or have any technical queries answered. Most shops will also offer you a shakedown service after a few weeks because the gears WILL need adjusting.

With a lot of these supermarket/mail order bikes, it's not a case of "You can get a better bike at XXX-Mart for a tenner less", more a case of "Don't waste your cash" as they're just not worth £30 and can do more harm than good to your perception of cycling.

At this price you really are scraping around in the dregs of the barrel in terms of quality. They are absolutely built down to a price and as such reflect pretty much the lowest standard of everything - heavy materials, no real thought or effort put into the design, parts made to poor tolerances that have been loosely thrown together to be finished off by someone who has possibly never taken a spanner to a bike in their life. It'll also probably be the wrong size.

Can you elaborate a little on what you mean by slightly more?
At £50 you're still going to get stuff like this. At £100 you'll still get the same but someone might have built it for you. By the time you get to £200, you're going to be looking in a bike shop where you'll be able to get the right size and seek advice or have any technical queries answered. Most shops will also offer you a shakedown service after a few weeks because the gears WILL need adjusting.

With a lot of these supermarket/mail order bikes, it's not a case of "You can get a better bike at XXX-Mart for a tenner less", more a case of "Don't waste your cash" as they're just not worth £30 and can do more harm than good to your perception of cycling.

So for £100 you would get similar - so my reckoning then £30 for a functioning bike, albeit rather heavy and poorly designed with basic level brakes and gears etc, is an absolute steal no?

A red hot deal that would beat this IMO would be a £200 bike that was marked down to £100 or less as this is what this deal represents